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Diablo Series
Diablo Diablo is an action role-playing hack and slash video game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996.[2] Set in the fictional Kingdom of Khanduras, located in the world of Sanctuary, Diablo has the player take control of a lone hero battling to rid the world of Diablo, the Lord of Terror. Beneath the town of Tristram, the player journeys through sixteen dungeon levels, ultimately entering Hell itself in order to face Diablo. An expansion pack, entitled Diablo: Hellfire, was released in 1997, although it was not created by Blizzard Entertainment. In 1998 Blizzard released Diablo for the PlayStation.[3] this version featured direct control of the main character using the PlayStation controller and was developed by Climax. This was followed by a sequel, Diablo II, in 2000, and a third game, Diablo III, was released on May 15, 2012. Gameplay Diablo is an action role-playing hack and slash video game. The player moves and interacts with the environment primarily by using the left and right mouse buttons.[4] Other commands, such as using a health potion, use the keyboard and all spells and abilities can be mapped to hotkeys (F5 to F8).[4] The player acquires items, learns abilities, defeats enemies, and interacts with NPCs throughout the entire game. Diablo was influenced by Moria and Angband.[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_(video_game)&action=edit&section=2 editClasses Diablo has three character classes: the warrior, the rogue, and the sorcerer. Although each class is capable of using almost all the same items or spells, some classes are better suited toward certain play styles than others. Each class starts the game with their own unique skill. Certain character attributes work best with a specific class. *'Warrior': The Warrior is the most physically able of the three classes.[4] He is a close-quarters fighter and can generally take the most physical punishment. His primary character attribute is Strength.[4] The Warrior starts with the skill to repair objects in his possession at the cost of overall durability. *'Rogue': The Rogue is a master of ranged weapons. While not as strong as the Warrior, she is very effective at attacking enemies from a distance. Her primary character attribute is Dexterity.[4] Her unique starting skill is the ability to disarm traps.[4] *'Sorcerer': The Sorcerer is a spellcaster. He is the most physically weak of the three classes, but can learn the most spells at the highest levels. His primary character attribute is Magic.[4] His unique starting skill is the ability to recharge some magical weapons.[4] In the expansion set, Diablo: Hellfire, the Monk was added. Two other characters, the Bard and Barbarian, were hidden characters in Diablo: Hellfire.[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_(video_game)&action=edit&section=3 editItems Many items have attribute minimums to be used effectively.[4] To use items, they must be identified first.[4] White-colored items are normal items, blue-colored items are magic items and gold-colored items are unique items.[4] Items wear down through use and only have a certain amount of durability.[4] When an item's durability is zero, it is destroyed.[4] The sword is the warrior's weapon.[4] Axes are for those who are willing to sacrifice defense for power.[4] Maces and clubs are good for use against the undead.[4] There are three classifications of armor: light, medium and heavy.[4] Shields allow for blocking of attacks.[4]Characters are allowed to wear two rings and one amulet.[4] Books contain spell formulas.[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_(video_game)&action=edit&section=4 editMultiplayer Multiplayer can be done with up to four players.[4] Multiplayer characters' states are saved periodically.[4] Players can either be aggressive towards, or play co-operatively with, other players.[4] Players can connect by one of the following: direct connection, modem connection, Battle.net Connection or IPX Network Connection.[4] The game lacks the stronger anti-cheating methods of Blizzard's later games and as a result, many characters online have been altered in various ways by common third-party programs known as trainers and/or game editing programs such as Cheat Engine.[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_(video_game)&action=edit&section=5 editPlot http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_(video_game)&action=edit&section=6 editSetting The setting of Diablo includes the world of Sanctuary, as well as Heaven and Hell. After eons of war between angels and demons, the ascension of man prompted the three Lords of Hell (including Diablo himself) to seek victory through influence, prompting their exile into the mortal realm. There, they sowed chaos, distrust, and hatred among the humans of Sanctuary until a group of magi trapped them in soulstones. Diablo's soulstone was buried deep in the earth and a monastery was built over the site. Generations passed and the purpose of the monastery was forgotten. A small town named Tristram sprang up next to the monastery's ruins. When King Leoric rebuilt the monastery as a cathedral, Diablo manipulated its archbishop to destroy his soulstone prison. Diablo subsequently possessed the king, sending out his knights and priests to battle against peaceful kingdoms, and then possessed the king's son, filling the caves and catacombs beneath the cathedral with creatures formed from the young boy's nightmares. Tristram became a town of fear and horror, where people were abducted in the night. With no king, no law, and no army left to defend them, many villagers fled.[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_(video_game)&action=edit&section=7 editStory The game starts when the player's character arrives in Tristram. The labyrinth under the Cathedral descends from a simple dungeon to catacombs to the dark caves and finally the fiery pits of Hell itself, each full of the undead, monsters, and demons. Leoric has been re-animated as the Skeleton King, and the hero must kill him so he can be released from his curse. The hero must also kill Archbishop Lazarus, and eventually fight Diablo himself. At the end of the game the hero kills Diablo's mortal form, leaving Diablo trapped in a soulstone once again. The hero then drives the soulstone into his own skull in an attempt to contain the Lord of Terror. Diablo II continues the story, with Diablo having possessed the warrior hero who killed him. Diablo: Hellfire Diablo: Hellfire is an expansion pack that Sierra On-Line produced for the video game Diablo. It was released in 1997 and developed by Synergistic Software, a Sierra division. Hellfire is the only authorized expansion pack released for Diablo. Blizzard Entertainment has never released a first-party expansion for Diablo. The original game was later re-released alongside Hellfire in 1998 in a bundle called Diablo + Hellfire. Overview Hellfire is a single-player expansion to Diablo. While there are some multi-player modes that can be unlocked, Hellfire is not playable on Blizzard's online gaming service Battle.net, and its changes do not transfer to online characters. However, the expansion does offer many new features as a single-player game, and also does not interfere with a user's ability to still play Diablo with Blizzard's service. Hellfire's storyline occurs as an aside to the main story arc of the original game. A sorcerer, while performing a ritual, unknowingly releases the demon Na-Krul unto the town of Tristram, but before it can completely escape, the sorcerer magically seals the doors. The player is later tasked with venturing into Na-Krul's lair and vanquishing it. The expansion pack adds several enhancements to Diablo, including an additional monk class, two new dungeon settings, additional quests to undertake, several extra game items, including oils which affect item statistics, runes that can be placed as traps, a new page of spells, new affixes for weapons and armor, new shrines, new mini-boss enemy names, a noticeable boost to Diablo's strength and power, and a number of interface improvements. Hellfire integrates into Diablo, and because of its design, its dungeons can be avoided entirely. In order to gain access to the dungeons, the player must speak with Lester the Farmer, who is north of Tristram, near the herd of cows. However, if the player speaks to Lester before reaching a certain point of the main Diablo quest, he will be hesitant to ask them to enter the new dungeons. The rest of the expansion integrates more fully into the main adventure. Objects like oils, new weapons, rings and armor, and runes drop amid other more common kinds of items, and the new spellbooks, including books for two previously existing spells that did not have books, and scrolls are found in the same kinds of places. New shrines are found where shrines would normally be found. The new unique monsters, which appear as palette-swapped, but otherwise normal monsters with a unique name, also appear in the Diablo quest like any other. However, there are almost no unique monsters found within Hellfire's exclusive dungeons. The Hellfire dungeons are populated with new enemies that do not appear in the main Diablo quest, however. The difficulty of Hellfire dungeon floors 1-8 mirror those of levels 9-16 of the main Diablo quest, requiring experienced characters to explore. Some of the newer convenience features include the option to move more quickly around town using the "jog" toggle found in the options menu, a spell that highlights objects lying on the floor as though the cursor was placed over them, and a spell that teleports the player to the nearest staircase found on that level of the dungeon. Diablo II Diablo II is an action role-playing hack and slash video game developed by Blizzard North and published by Blizzard Entertainment in 2000 for Windows and Mac OS computers. The game, with its dark fantasy and horror themes, was conceptualized and designed by David Brevik and Erich Schaefer, who with Max Schaefer acted as project leads on the game. The producers were Matthew Householder and Bill Roper. Building on the success of its predecessor Diablo (1997), Diablo II was one of the most popular games of 2000.[5] Major factors that contributed to Diablo II's success include its continuation of popular fantasy themes from the previous game and its access to Blizzard's free online play service Battle.net.[6] An expansion to Diablo II, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, was released in 2001.[7] A sequel,Diablo III, was announced in 2008, and was released on May 15, 2012. Gameplay Diablo II's storyline progresses through four chapters or "Acts". Each act following a more or less predetermined path, although there is some random-level generation in wilderness areas and dungeons between key cities. There is a list of quests which are usually required to advance the story, though some are optional. In contrast to the first Diablo whose levels consisted of descending deeper and deeper into a Gothic-themed dungeon and Hell, Diablo II's style is much more varied. While Act I is similar to the original, Act II mimics canaan desert while Act III is supposedly based on the Maya civilization jungles. Act IV takes place in Hell and is the shortest, with just three quests compared to the other Acts that have six. The Lord of Destruction expansion adds Act V which continues the story where Act IV left off.[8] In addition to the acts, there are three sequential difficulty levels: Normal, Nightmare, and Hell; completing the game (four Acts in the original or five Acts in the expansion) on a difficulty setting will open up the next level. On higher difficulties, monsters are stronger and are resistant to an element, experience is penalized on dying, and the player's resistances are handicapped. However, better items are rewarded to players as they go through higher difficulties. A character retains all abilities and items between difficulties, and may return to a lower difficulty at any time. Players can also create a hardcore character. In normal mode, the player can resurrect their character if killed and resume playing, while a hardcore character has only one life. If killed, the character is permanently dead and unplayable, and all items and equipment on that character will be lost unless another friendly character has the "loot" icon checked. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_II&action=edit&section=2 editCharacter classes Diablo II allows the player to choose between five different character classes: Amazon, Necromancer, Barbarian, Sorceress, and Paladin. Each character has different strengths and weaknesses and sets of skills to choose from, as well as varying beginning attributes. The maximum level that any character can obtain is level 99. *The Amazon hails from the islands of the Twin Seas, near the border of the Great Ocean, and her clan is a rival to the Sisters of the Sightless Eye (known as Rogues). The Amazon is akin to the Rogue of Diablo: both primarily use bows, and both make equal use of strength and magic, however the Amazon can also use javelins and spears. Many of her defensive skills are passive in nature, especially Dodge, Avoid, and Evade.[9] The Amazon is voiced by Jessica Straus.[10] *The Necromancer is a versatile death-themed spell caster. Necromancers are the priests of the Cult of Rathma from the Eastern jungles. His Summoning skills allow him to raise skeletons, create golems, and resurrect dead monsters to fight alongside him. The Necromancer possesses powerful poison spells, which rapidly drain life from afflicted monsters. He also has "Bone" skills, which directly damage enemies, while bypassing most resistances. His Curses also afflict the enemy with debilitating status ailments, sowing confusion and chaos in their ranks.[11] The Necromancer is voiced by Michael McConnohie.[10] *The Barbarian is a powerful melee fighter from the steppes of Mount Arreat. He is an expert at frontline combat, able to absorb great punishment, and is the only class capable of dual-wielding weapons. His Combat Masteries allow him to specialize in different types of weapons, and also passively increase his resistance, speed, and defense. His Warcries dramatically increase the combat effectiveness of him and his party, as well as afflicting status ailments on enemies. He has a variety of Combat Skills at his command, most of which focus on delivering great force upon a single foe, while some also give him considerable athleticism allowing him to leap over chasms and rivers.[12] The Barbarian is voiced by David Thomas.[10] *The Sorceress hails from a rebellious coven of female witches who have wrested the secrets of magic use from the male-dominated mage clans of the East. She can cast ice, lightning and fire spells. Nearly all of these skills are offensive in nature, besieging the enemy with elemental calamity. Her Cold Skills can freeze enemies solid and bypass resistances, but do less damage than lightning or fire. The Sorceress's Teleport spell allows her to instantly travel to a new destination, making her very difficult to hit. The strong point of the Sorceress is her damaging spells and casting speed; her weakness is her relatively low hit points and defense.[13] The Sorceress is voiced by Liana Young.[10] *The Paladin is a crusader from the Church of Zakarum, fighting for the glory of the Light. He is part of the forces that defeated King Leoric's army in the first Diablo, although his Order is eventually corrupted by Mephisto. To reflect his holy nature, the zealous Paladin's combat skills range from fanatical attacks to heavenly thunderbolts. His skills are split into Combat Skills, Defensive Auras, and Offensive Auras. His auras have a range of abilities, such as increasing damage, or resisting magic attacks, or boosting defense. The Paladin's auras affect all party members. The Paladin is highly proficient in the use of a shield, and is the only character that can use it as a weapon. The Paladin also has specialized skills for eliminating the undead.[14] The Paladin is voiced by Larry B. Scott.[10] *Two additional character classes, the Druid and Assassin, were added in the expansion. The player can enlist the help of one hireling (computer-controlled mercenaries) from a mercenary captain in the town; the Rogue Scouts, Desert Mercenaries, Ironwolves, and''Barbarians'', from Acts I, II, III, and V (expansion only). The expansion allows players to retain their mercenary throughout the entire game as well as equipping them with armor and weapons. Hirelings gain experience and attributes like the player, although their level cannot surpass that of their master character.[15] Typically players choose a hireling that provides something missing from their character class; for instance the melee-focused Paladin may choose a Rogue for missile support. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_II&action=edit&section=3 editMultiplayer Diablo II can be played multiplayer on a LAN or Battle.net. Unlike the original Diablo, Diablo II was made specifically with online gaming in mind.[16] Several spells (such as auras or war cries) multiply their effectiveness if they are cast within a party, and although dungeons still exist, they were largely replaced by open spaces. Multiplayer is achieved through Blizzard's Battle.net free online service, or via a LAN. Battle.net is divided into "Open" and "Closed" realms.[17] Players may play their single-player characters on open realms; characters in closed realms are stored on Blizzard's servers, as a measure against cheating, where they must be played every 90 days to avoid expiration. Originally these closed realms served their purpose of preventing cheating, as open games were subject to many abuses as the characters were stored on players' own hard drives. Within the last few years, however, many cheats are (and continue to be) used on these closed realms.[18] Hacks, bots, and programs which allow the player to run multiple instances of the game at the same time are not allowed by Blizzard but are very commonly used. Spambots, (programs which advertise sites selling Diablo II's virtual items for real-world currency) run rampant on the service and a player hosting a public game can expect a visit from one every few minutes.[19] Due to the surplus of virtual items provided by the automated bots, which repeatedly kill bosses to obtain items, supply is well in excess of demand, and items which used to trade well are now often given away for nothing.[20] As the game can be played cooperatively (Players vs. Environment, PvE), groups of players with specific sets of complementary skills can finish some of the game's climactic battles in a matter of seconds, providing strong incentives for party-oriented character builds. Up to eight players can be in one game; they can either unite as a single party, play as individuals, or form multiple opposing parties. Experience gained, monsters' hit points and damage, and the number of items dropped are all increased as more players join a game, though not in a strictly proportional manner. Players are allowed to duel each other with all damage being reduced in player vs player (PvP). The bounty for a successful kill in PvP is a portion of the gold and the "ear" of the defeated player (with the previous owner's name and level at the time of the kill). The Ladder System can be reset at various intervals to allow for all players to start fresh with new characters on an equal footing. Ladder seasons have lasted from as short as six months to over a year. When a ladder season ends all ladder characters are transferred to the non-ladder population. Certain rare items are available only within ladder games, although they can be traded for and exchanged on non-ladder after the season has ended.[21] On March 3, 2009, Blizzard announced a new Diablo II content patch, 9 years after the game's release.[22] The game has been patched extensively; the precise number of patches is impossible to determine as Battle.net has the capability of making minor server-side patches to address immediate issues. The game is currently in version 1.13d.[23] The latest major patch was released on March 23, 2010. Through the patch history, several exploits and issues have been addressed (such as illegal item duplication, though it still exists), as well as major revamps to the game's balance (such as the ability to redo skills and attributes). Not all patches have affected Diablo II directly, as several were designed to address issues in the expansion to the game and had minimal effects on Diablo II. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_II&action=edit&section=4 editStory Diablo II takes place after the end of the previous game, Diablo, in the world of Sanctuary. In Diablo, an unnamed warrior defeated Diablo and attempted to contain the Lord of Terror's essence within his own body. Since then, the hero has become corrupted by the demon's spirit, causing demons to enter the world around him and wreak havoc. A band of adventurers who pass through the Rogue Encampment hear these stories of destruction and attempt to find out the cause of the evil, starting with this corrupted "Dark Wanderer." As the story develops, the truth behind this corruption is revealed: the soulstones were originally designed to capture the Prime Evils who were banished to the mortal realm after being overthrown by the Lesser Evils. With the corruption of Diablo's soulstone, the demon is able to control the Dark Wanderer. The soulstone of another demon, Baal, was united with the mage Tal-Rasha, who volunteered to absorb Baal's spirit in his own body and be imprisoned in a tomb. As the story progresses, cut scenes show the Dark Wanderer's journey as a drifter named Marius follows him. The player realizes that the Dark Wanderer's mission is to reunite with the other prime evils, Baal and Mephisto. The story is divided up into four acts: :Act I - The adventurers rescue Cain, who is imprisoned in Tristram, and then begin following the Dark Wanderer. The Dark Wanderer has one of the lesser evils, Andariel, corrupt the Sisters of the Sightless Eye (Rogues) and take over their Monastery. The adventurers overcome Andariel and then follow the Wanderer east. :Act II - While the adventurers search the eastern desert for Tal-Rasha's tomb, the Dark Wanderer gets there first. Marius is tricked into removing Baal's soulstone from Tal-Rasha and the Archangel Tyrael charges Marius with taking the soulstone to Hell to destroy it. The Dark Wanderer and Baal join with Mephisto, open a portal to Hell, and the Dark Wanderer sheds his human form and becomes the demon Diablo. :Act III - The adventurers find the seat of the Zakarum religion at the Temple of Kurast, where the portal to Hell is located. They defeat Mephisto, who was left guarding the entrance, and take his soulstone. :Act IV - The adventurers slay Diablo in Hell and destroy the soulstones of Mephisto and Diablo on the Hellforge, preventing their return. In the epilogue, Marius, speaking in a prison cell, indicates he was too weak to enter Hell, and that he fears the stone's effects on him. He gives the soulstone to his visitor. The visitor reveals himself to be Baal, the last surviving Prime Evil now in possession of his own soulstone and he kills Marius and set the prison cell on fire. The story continues in the expansion Diablo II: Lord of Destruction where Baal attempts to corrupt the mythical Worldstone on Mount Arreat. Upon returning to the Pandemonium Fortress after defeating Diablo, Tyrael opens a portal to send the adventurers to Arreat. 'Diablo II: Lord of Destruction' Diablo II: Lord of Destruction (commonly abbreviated LoD) is an expansion pack for the hack and slash action role-playing game Diablo II. Unlike the original Diablo's expansion pack, Diablo: Hellfire, it is a first-party expansion developed by Blizzard North. More than a standard expansion, Lord of Destruction not only added content in the form of two new character classes, new weapons and an addition of a fifth act, but also dramatically revamped the gameplay of the existing Diablo II for solo and especially multiplayer. Features Lord of Destruction adds a number of new features to the core gameplay of Diablo II. These include: *Two new character classes: the Assassin and the Druid. *A fifth act taking place in and around Mount Arreat in the northern Barbarian Highlands, with an additional act boss, Baal. *Many new weapons and new pieces of armor: **''Runes'' can be placed into sockets and provide different bonuses from gems. **Using Horadric Cube, needed quest item for Act 2 and runes as recipes, one can empower the items. **"Crafted items" are very similar to rare items but they cannot be found in chests or dropped by monsters. They can be created with the Horadric Cube and the right ingredients. They have 3-4 fixed properties that will enhance the items. **"Runewords" are very powerful bonuses that are granted to an item when specific runes are socketed in a specific order. **"Jewels" gain the same random bonuses that items can. These can be placed into sockets. They have the same effect no matter what the base item is. Unique jewels are "Rainbow Facets" which have different bonuses to a certain element. **Ethereal items that are normally more powerful than their standard counterparts, but they have lowered durability and cannot be repaired. **''Charms'' that can be kept in the inventory and provide passive bonuses. **''Class-specific'' items that can only be used by a certain character, e.g. Claws for an Assassin. **''Additional unique and set items'', including class-specific sets. *An expanded stash for storing items—two times the size of the original stash. *An alternate weapon/shield/spell setup that can be switched to via a hotkey in gameplay. *''Hirelings'' can now follow the player through all the Acts. They can also be equipped with armor and a weapon, can gain their own experience (originally they leveled up with the player), can be healed by potions, and can be resurrected when killed. *The game can now be played at 800x600 resolution, up from 640x480. Story With the destruction of two of the Prime Evils, the Archangel Tyrael opens a portal to Harrogath, a stronghold on Mount Arreat in the northern Barbarian Highlands, to assist the adventurers in defeating Baal (who is in possession of his own Soulstone). Baal has raised an army and attacked the Barbarian inhabitants of Mount Arreat tasked with defending the Worldstone. The adventurers ascend Mount Arreat while assisting the people of Harrogath. They kill Elder Nihlathak for granting Baal access to the Worldstone Keep. And the player, after passing the test of the ancients at Mount Arreat, gains access to the keep. After defeating Baal's pack of minions at the Throne of Destruction, they engage Baal in the Worldstone Chamber and defeat him. The Archangel Tyrael appears after Baal's defeat but with the Worldstone corrupted by Baal, Tyrael has no choice but to destroy it. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_II:_Lord_of_Destruction&action=edit&section=3 editNew classes See also: Diablo II character classes http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_II:_Lord_of_Destruction&action=edit&section=4 editAssassin The Assassin relies on a mixture of martial arts skills and the ability to lay active traps. She can also open locked chests without the use of a key. Her Shadow Disciplines tree contains a mixture of passive bonuses (such as Claw Mastery or Weapon Block) and buffs (such as Burst of Speed or Venom), along with a few spells such as Mind Blast which damage, stun, and confuse the enemy. She also can summon a Shadow Warrior or Shadow Master, which are useful summons that are also capable of dealing significant damage themselves. The Traps tree provides a few direct attacks, and more importantly, a number of summonable traps. The traps are stationary devices that will attack any hostile target in range a certain number of times before breaking. Traps are either based on fire or lightning, though the Death Sentry trap can explode nearby corpses in addition to shooting bolts of lightning. The blade trap skills are essentially ranged projectiles that cause physical damage. The Martial Arts tree consists of charge-up skills and finishing moves. Attacking with a charge-up skill increases the number of charges, up to three, then the finishing move releases the charges in a single powerful blow (note that a normal attack also counts as a finishing move). The charge-up skills include attacks like Blades of Ice and Fists of Fire, which add elemental damage to the finishing blow, and also skills like Cobra Strike, which adds life and mana stealing to the finishing attack. The finishing blows are, for the most part, kicks, such as Dragon Talon, which releases a number of kicks in quick succession, and Dragon Flight, which teleports on to a target and kicks them, releasing any charges. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diablo_II:_Lord_of_Destruction&action=edit&section=5 editDruid The Druid specialises in nature-based magic and shapeshifting, with direct damage spells and a variety of minions. The Druid is voiced by Michael Bell. The Elemental tree consists of the magic of earth and sky. The 'storm' spells have effects like Cyclone Armor, which protects the Druid from the elements, and Tornado, a vortex of swirling winds that moves somewhat randomly and can deal massive damage. The 'fire' spells are more earthly than the Sorceress's, with spells like Fissure and Volcano. The ultimate Elemental spells are Hurricane and Armageddon; both create a storm that follows the Druid, damaging all that come too close. The Summoning tree governs the calling of natural allies to the Druid. While the wolves and grizzly the Druid can summon are traditional melee summons, the other summoning spells are a bit different. Ravens do marginal damage, but can blind enemies and cannot be targeted. Ravens disappear after they have attacked a certain number of times. The Druid can summon will-o-the-wisp-like spirits that provide Paladin-like Auras, increasing damage, life, or returning damage back to the attacker (like the Necromancer's Iron Maiden). The Druid also can summon one of three vines. These can poison enemies from below, or consume corpses to replenish the Druid's life or mana. The Shape-Shifting tree gives the Druid the ability to become an animal himself, with gigantic bonuses to life. The Druid may either become a nimble Werewolf or a large Werebear. Each form has its own special attacks, such as the Werewolf's''Feral Rage'', which causes the Druid to get faster and faster as he continues to attack enemies, and the Werebear's Maul, which makes the Druid swing harder and harder during attacks. The Werebear is also able to obtain substantially more life and armor than the Werewolf is. It is worth noting that all of the Druid's equipment functions as normal when shifted, if at different speeds, but the druid is virtually unable to cast spells, except for Armageddon and summoning ones. Diablo III Diablo III is an action role-playing video game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the third installment in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_(series) Diablo franchise], which features elements of the dungeon crawl and hack and slash genres. Diablo III was released in North America, Latin America, Europe, South Korea, and Taiwan on May 15, 2012, and in Russia on June 7, 2012.[3] Before its release, the game broke several presale records and became the most pre-ordered PC game to date on Amazon.com.[4] Diablo III subsequently set a new record for fastest-selling PC game by selling over 3.5 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release.[5] Plot The game takes place in Sanctuary, the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series, twenty years after the events of Diablo II. Deckard Cain and his niece Leah are in the Tristram Cathedral investigating ancient texts regarding an ominous prophecy. Suddenly, a mysterious star falling from the sky strikes the Cathedral, creating a deep crater into which Deckard Cain disappears. The player character (PC) arrives in New Tristram to investigate the fallen star. The PC rescues Cain upon Leah's request and discovers that the fallen object is actually a person. The stranger has no memories except that he lost his sword, which was shattered into three pieces. The PC is tasked with retrieving the pieces, a quest during which knowledge of an ancient line of humans known as the''Nephalem'' is discovered. It is gradually revealed that this line, the result of the union of Diablo's angelic and demonic races, has not died out as first believed, and that the PC is in fact a Nephalem as well. A dark coven run by the witch Maghda attempts to beat the PC to the sword shards; once all three have been collected, Maghda seizes them and kidnaps Cain to force him to repair the sword for her own ends. However, with an uncontrolled display of power, Leah forces Maghda to flee, and the witch kidnaps the stranger instead. Cain, dying from Maghda's torture, uses the last of his strength to repair the sword and instructs the PC to return it to the stranger. The PC rescues the stranger and returns his sword, causing him to regain his memories. The stranger is the fallen angel Tyrael. Disgusted with his fellow angels' unwillingness to protect humanity from the forces of Hell, Tyrael cast aside his divinity to become a mortal and warn Sanctuary about the arrival of the demon lords Belial (Lord of Lies) and Azmodan (Lord of Sin). To avenge Cain's death, the PC tracks Maghda to the city of Caldeum, which is controlled by her master, Belial. The PC kills Maghda, and rescues Leah's mother, Adria. Adria tells Tyrael and the PC that the key to stopping the demons is the Black Soulstone, which can trap the souls of the seven Lords of Hell and destroy them forever. In order to obtain the Black Soulstone, the PC resurrects the mad Horadrim, Zoltun Kulle. Kulle reveals its hiding place and completes the unfinished Soulstone, but is killed by the PC after he attempts to steal it for himself. the PC kills Belial and traps his soul within the Black Soulstone, freeing Caldeum. As Leah studies in Caldeum's library to find more answers about the Black Soulstone and Azmodan, she receives a vision from Azmodan, who tells her that he is sending an army from the ruins of Mount Arreat to take the Black Soulstone for himself. Meanwhile, the PC is revealed to be a Nephalem: an ancient line of humans descended from the the union of angels and demons during Sanctuary's genesis. Tyrael, Adria, Leah and the PC journey to Bastion's Keep, the only line of defense between Azmodan's forces and the rest of Sanctuary. While the others stay behind to protect the Black Soulstone, the PC pushes out from the keep into Mount Arreat. The PC kills Azmodan and traps his soul in the Black Soulstone. However, Adria betrays the PC and takes the Black Soulstone with the seven Demon Lords' souls inside. She reveals that she has been Diablo's agent from the beginning, and that Leah's father is the Dark Wanderer, who conceived her while being possessed by Diablo, making her the perfect vessel for the demon's physical form. Using Leah as a sacrifice, Adria resurrects Diablo. Having the souls of all the Lords of Hell within him, Diablo becomes the "Prime Evil," the most powerful demon in existence. He begins an assault on the High Heavens, the defending angels being no match for him. Tyrael and the PC follow Diablo to the High Heavens while it is under attack. The defending angels warn the PC that Diablo is attempting to reach the Crystal Arch, which is the source of all of the angels' power. To prevent Diablo from corrupting the Crystal Arch and completing his victory over the High Heavens, the PC confronts and defeats him. With Diablo's physical manifestation destroyed, the Black Soulstone is shown falling from the High Heavens, apparently still intact. After the battle, Tyrael decides to rejoin the High Heavens but remains a mortal, dedicated to building a permanent alliance between angels and humans. Gameplay Gameplay is similar to that of previous titles in the Diablo franchise. The game is classified as a tactical action game that is played primarily using the mouse to direct the character with supplementary commands provided through the keyboard. The proprietary engine incorporates Blizzard's custom in-house physics, a change from the original usage of Havok's physics engine,[7] and features destructible environments with an in-game damage effect. The developers sought to make the game run on a wide range of systems without requiring DirectX 10.[8] Diablo III uses a custom 3D game engine[9] in order to present an overhead view to the player, in a somewhat similar way to the isometric view used in previous games in the series.[8] Enemies utilize the 3D environment as well, in ways such as crawling up the side of a wall from the depths into the combat area.[10] As in Diablo II, multiplayer games are possible using Blizzard's Battle.net service,[11] with many of the new features developed for StarCraft II also available in''Diablo III''.[8] Players will be able to drop in and out of sessions of co-operative play with others.[12] Unlike its predecessor, Diablo III requires players to be connected to the internet constantly due to their DRM policy, even for single-player games.[13] An enhanced quest system, a random level generator, and a random encounter generator are used in order to ensure the game provides different experiences when replayed.[14] Unlike previous iterations, gold can be picked up merely by touching it, or coming within range, adjusted by gear, rather than having to manually pick it up.[15] One of the new features intended to speed gameplay is that health orbs drop from enemies, replacing the need to have a potion bar, which itself is replaced by a skill bar that allows a player to assign quick bar buttons to skills and spells; previously, players could only assign two skills (one for each mouse button) and had to swap skills with the keyboard or mousewheel. Players can still assign specific attacks to mouse buttons.[15] Skill runes, another new feature, are skill modifiers that are unlocked as the player levels up. Unlike the socketable runes in Diablo II, skill runes are not items but instead provide options for enhancing skills, often completely changing the gameplay of each skill.[16] For example, one skill rune for the Wizard's meteor ability reduces its arcane power cost, while another turns the meteor to ice, causing cold damage rather than fire. Hardcore mode As in Diablo II, Diablo III gives players the choice to make hardcore characters.[17] Players are required to first level up a regular character to level 10 before they have the option to create new Hardcore characters.[18] Hardcore characters cannot be resurrected; instead they become permanently unplayable if they are killed. They also do not have access to the real-world money auction house.[19] Hardcore characters are separately ranked; their names are highlighted with a different color (red); and they can only form teams with other hardcore characters. After dying, the ghost of a hardcore character can still chat, the name still shows up in rankings, but the character cannot return to the game.[20] Artisans Artisans are NPCs who sell and craft. Two types of artisans can be introduced by completing a quest for each: Haedrig Eamon the Blacksmith and Covetous Shen the Jeweler. The previously announced Mystic Artisan has been pulled, possibly to be released later on.[21] Artisans create items using materials the player can gather by scrapping acquired items and reducing them to their component parts. These materials are used to create items which will have random bonuses. Unlike Diablo II, rare and magic items can be enhanced, not just basic weaponry and armor. Crafting can also be used to train and improve the skills of the artisans rather than create new items. When artisans gain new levels, their shop reflects their higher skill level. The process of salvaging items into materials also makes inventory management easier. Blizzard stated that this crafting system was designed so that it would not slow down the pace of the game.[22] Followers Followers are NPC allies that can accompany the player throughout the game world. There are three followers in Diablo III: Kormac the Templar, Lyndon the Scoundrel and Eirena the Enchantress, who each possess their own skills and background.[23] As followers fight alongside the player, they gain new experience, skills, and equipment as they level up. Only one follower accompanies the player at a time, creating a gameplay strategy decision. Originally, followers were only going to appear in normal, single-player mode. However, Jay Wilson stated at BlizzCon 2011 that followers would continue to be usable in later difficulty levels.[24] Followers will not appear in co-op games.[25] Credits Diablo Wikipedia: '''http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_(video_game) '''Diablo - Hellfire Wikipedia: '''http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo:_Hellfire ''Diablo II Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_II'' ''Diablo II - Lord of Destruction Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_II:_Lord_of_Destruction'' ''Diablo III Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_III'' ''Diablo Wikia: http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/Diablo_Wiki'' ''Diablo Wiki: 'http://www.diablowiki.net/Main_Page All information, citation, and reference can be found on these Wiki's.